


Recipe for Disaster

by katyabaryzh



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Cooking Lessons, Cyborg Genji Shimada, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, Human Zenyatta, M/M, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 11:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13053438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katyabaryzh/pseuds/katyabaryzh
Summary: “Genji,” He started after eating in silence for a while. He placed his cup on the ground for a moment and set his chopsticks on top. “Do you know how to cook?” Genji stopped mid slurp, a sheepish look crossed his face, blush high on his scarred cheeks. He mimicked Zenyatta’s earlier action, setting down his cup and chopsticks to look him in the eyes.3 times Zenyatta taught Genji how to cook.





	Recipe for Disaster

Zenyatta stared down at the steaming cup of instant noodles Genji had set in front of him.  
"It has vegetables and everything. I got the one that doesn't have meat for you!" He was thankful that Genji took the initiative to "cook", but around the 5th night in a row of cup noodles he began to worry. 

"Genji," He started after eating in silence for a while. He placed his cup on the ground for a moment and set his chopsticks on top. "Do you know how to cook?" Genji stopped mid slurp, a sheepish look crossed his face, blush high on his scarred cheeks. He mimicked Zenyatta's earlier action, setting down his cup and chopsticks to look him in the eyes. 

"No. My father never bothered to teach either of us. He said that we'd always have people to do that for us, that we needed to focus on training. I don't think Hanzo knows how to cook either..." Now that Genji thought about it: Cooking was a pretty vital skill. He seemed lost in thought, until Zenyatta suddenly clapped his hands together, spooking Genji out of his reverie. "Don't worry Genji. I will teach you how to cook. It's never too late to learn." Zenyatta had the widest smile, full of warmth and promise. Genji made his resolve that night to try his best. 

1\. "Don't ever take your eyes off the food when the heat is on. If you forget it, it will burn." Genji made mental notes of the tips Zenyatta gave him through each lesson. It was already a lot to remember. Why did cooking have to be so difficult? 

"Genji! The food!" The chicken in the pan was beginning to smoke, its skin becoming blackened and crackly. He quickly fumbled for the wooden chopsticks and attempted to flip it, wincing as the oil hissed in the pan. The entire backside was pitch black, almost cremated compared to the gorgeous golden crispy skin on Zenyatta's example piece. He pouted at the ruined food. "I'm not very good at this..." Zenyatta glanced over and attempted to stifle a laugh. "Oh Genji... Cooking takes practice and patience. Remember: we have yet to taste it." Genji perked up, he had used a variety of spices that smelled good to him. Maybe they would taste good together as well. 

Finally, Genji's piece of chicken was done. Though the backside was horribly burnt, the top looked almost identical to the pieces Zenyatta fried. His mouth watered at the delicious aromas that surrounded hIm in the Temple's kitchen. Genji tore into the chicken breast he cooked while Zenyatta watched; popping the meat into his mouth and chewing for a few seconds before grimacing. It tasted awful! Those spices didn't go together at all! It was bitter and the backside just tasted like burnt herbs and oil. The piece Zenyatta had cooked however... juicy, crispy, savory... Genji hung his head low while Zenyatta patted his shoulder. "Patience Genji. You've finished a dish. Not many people can say they've gotten that far." His words soothed him just a little.

2\. Zenyatta sat in front of Genji with several different vegetables, a determined look on his face. Genji was glad he had not given up on him yet. "Perhaps jumping straight into the frying pan was a bit too difficult. I think you'd be good at food prep. I want to teach you some important knife skills." Genji felt determined. His careful precision and years of mastering the blade would definitely help, at least he hoped it would. 

After some expert coaching from his master, he gratefully accepted the knife Zenyatta held out to him and set to work chopping the red pepper laid out on his cutting board. Genji found this part therapeutic, the crunching sound of the pepper as the knife slid through it like butter was almost music to his ears, and he settled into an easy rhythm. Zenyatta praised him for his even knife cuts, then set another vegetable in front of him, taking the chopped pepper and setting it aside to add to his stockpot. 

Genji sighed in content, rubbing an itch in his eye. Then the burning started. He dropped the knife and exclaimed in pain. "MY EYE! OH GOD!" Zenyatta looked up in alarm, then quickly grabbed the pint of cream sitting near him, rushing over to dab a cream-damp cloth to his eye. "Oh Genji you poor thing! Did you touch your eye after cutting the pepper?" Genji nodded, and Zenyatta once again tried to stifle a laugh. Eventually, after the burning had subsided, Genji finished chopping the vegetables and Zenyatta made a delicious stew for them both to enjoy. Tonight he would practice while his master slept...

3\. "This one is foolproof. I'm going to teach you how to make pasta. It's messy, but it's fun and well worth it." Genji snickered at Zenyatta's choice of wording, a few not-so PG images flitted through his head. Zenyatta cleared his throat, sending Genji's thoughts scattering. He stood there with his hip cocked to one side, lips pursed, a telltale sign he was about to start scolding. He instead shook his head and continued on with his lecture. 

Zenyatta poured two different flours onto his cooking space. "This can be done with just regular flour, so it's not at all expensive to make. It's very simple too." He put a well in the mound of flour and cracked whole eggs into it. Genji simply observed, making mental notes to gradually introduce the egg mixture into the flour, and... 

Zenyatta had wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a little smear of pasta dough behind, his tongue poked out from his mouth while he concentrated on kneading his pasta dough. Genji could think of little else, but how adorable he was, and how grateful he was that his master's support was limitless in this new endeavor in his life. His heart swelled with love for the beautiful man. Zenyatta's eyes met with Genji's, and his breath caught in his throat. "I love you Zenyatta." A wide smile spread acrossed the monk's face. The warmth in his eyes increased tenfold as he laughed - like tinkling bells, effortless, but perfect - The freckles and scars on his face only enhanced his beauty, the small gap between his two front teeth was endearing. 

"I love you too Genji. So much." A blush settled on Genji's cheeks and the tips of his ears. It still effected him so deeply to hear his love requited. Unfortunately, his freezing fingers screamed for his attention and he continued to knead the cold eggs into the flour. 

The next step was extruding the dough, luckily they had a pasta attachment to the stand mixer Genji had bought Zenyatta a while ago. He had been so happy when he received it, and everyone else in the temple was happy as well. More sweet smells flowed from the kitchen, and though there were some people who could not eat the food made, for one reason or another, they were just happy to see Zenyatta's creative nature come into play. Everything was going smooth. Too smooth. Genji waited for disaster to strike at any moment, though his worry subsided as he and Zenyatta sat down with a delicious curry udon soup. He had cheerfully called it a "Nepali-Japanese fusion", then gave Genji an angry look when he let out a dirty chuckle. They both laughed afterward and finished their soup in companionable silence.

Bonus: Genji could not find his master anywhere. He hadn't come to their early morning meditation session, he missed breakfast, and was absent from his classes. After the mid-morning lessons, Genji came to Mondatta with his worries. "I haven't seen Master Zenyatta today. Is he ill?" The omnic tilted his head in what Genji understood to be a smile, and responded, patting Genji's shoulder. "I'm afraid so. I should have gotten to you earlier about that, I apologize." Genji shook his head, tilting his head as well. "There's no need to apologize Master Mondatta. I'm going to do something nice for Zenyatta. Can you keep a secret?" The monk clapped his hands together.

Zenyatta pulled the blankets around his body tighter, his throat was sore from coughing all night. He was exhausted and feverish, and worst of all he missed his lessons with Genji and his other students. Overall he felt miserable. He didn't have long to dwell in his own gloom as a knock at the door interrupted his brooding. He perked his head up and cleared his throat. 

"Come in." Zenyatta squawked, coughing as his throat protested the very idea of making sound. He smiled when Genji appeared in the doorway, carrying a steaming bowl of what he could only assume was soup. Genji set the soup aside and removed his faceplate, allowing his sick lover to see his face, a sign of trust that Zenyatta felt blessed to have earned. He sat up as Genji set a tray and some napkins in his lap, then the hot soup. "I made it all by myself. It's a vegetable base, homemade noodles, diced veggies, all from scratch." 

Zenyatta raised the spoon to his lips and tasted the broth. "This is wonderful Genji. It's delicious! I'm so proud of you." Genji laughed, his cheeks turnimg pink at his master's praise. "It's all thanks to you. Thank you for never giving up on me." "I never gave up on you Genji. Cooking is difficult, sometimes even for me. Things go wrong in the kitchen more often than you'd think." He finished his spiel there, his throat having become too painful to utter another word, Genji's delicious homemade soup was sure to make him feel better. 

After the soup was finished, Zenyatta felt a lot better. His throat was soothed by the hot broth, his stomach was pleasantly full, and he was finally warm and groggy enough to sleep. Genji stayed by his side, rubbing his back until he fell asleep, marvelling at Zenyatta's serene face while he slept. He'd have to sneak away to clean the mountain of dishes he left behind. That was the part that amazed him the most. How Zenyatta could cook so much while keeping the kitchen clean. He had an earful from the head chef waiting for him when he got back.

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider supporting me [here](https://ko-fi.com/katyabaryzh)
> 
> I'll write you something if you support.


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